Handle brace for push brushes



Jan. 26, 1960 E. LUNDGREN 2,922,179

HANDLE BRACE FOR PUSH BRUSHES Filed Dec. 18, 1957 W 4, F111 v ired States Patent 2,922,179 HANDLE BRACE FOR PUSH BRUSHES Application December 18, 1957, SerialNo. 703,647

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-146) My invention relates broadly to floor sweeps and more particularly to a handle brace for a floor sweep of the push brush type. t v

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a construction of handle brace for floor sweeps which may be readily packaged as part of the floor sweep and assembled in position by the user for insuring a rigid and reliable connection between the handle and the back of the brush of the floor sweep. v i V t Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of foldable brace which is readily collapsed and packed with the parts constituting a floor sweep arid which is readily unfoldable and mounted in position for bracing a handlewith respect to the back of the brush for insuring reliable operation of the brush. I

Still another object of my invention. is to provide a censtruction of foldablebrace and an arrangement of attachment screw devices which will enable the brace to be applied to the handles of standard floor sweeps already in use or available on the market for purchase, the brace of my invention being adaptable to conventiorial fioor sweeps for insuring more reliable operation cr ptt v t Other and further objects of my invention reside in a construction ef folda'ble brace for thehandle of a floor sweep which may be located in either right or left hand position withrespect to a brush for rigidly bracing a handle with respect to the back of the floor sweepbrush as, setforth more fully inthe specification hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawing, in i h Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the floor sweep, the handle brace, the securing means for fastening the handle brace to the back of thefioor sweep, and a fragn entary portion of the handle for the floor sweep where allpfthe parts are illustrated in p'erspective and shown in juxtaposed relation preparatory to assembly;.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to the view illustrated in Fig.

1, showing the parts in assembled relation with the handle foreshortened, the several parts being shown in perspective; V j ;i ig i is a transverse "sectional view taken through the floor sweep and showing a'portion of the handle in position at one side of the floor sweep with the brace broken away illustrated in sectie n, the view illustrating in headline the re-verses posIit'ionpf the handle :brace, showihgthehnanrier' i'n which the handle and brace may be mounted on either side of the floor sweep;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the floor sweep and the brace may be assembled in the compact dimensions of a merchandisable package ready for assembly by the purchaser;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the brace of my invention folded in position for shipment;

Fig. 6 is a side View of the brace shown in Fig. 5, folded for shipment;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view looking toward the inside of the pivot portion, of the loop which forms part of the foldable brace of Figs. 5 and 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front view of the loop of the brace looking in a direction which is the reverse of that in which Fig. 7 is viewed; r h

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the top portion of the loop of the brace;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 1010 of Fig. 7, showing the man her of pivoting one part of the brace with respect to the other part of the brace;

I Fig. 11 is a front elevational view of one of the fingeroperated attachment screws used in facilitating the assembly of the brace with respect to the brush;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11, but showing the finger-operated head of the attachment screw in longitudinal section, the view being taken on line l212 of Fig. 13; and

Fig. 13 is a top plan view of the attachment screw shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

My invention is directed to a construction of handle brace for floor sweeps where the handle brace may be folded to a compact dimension and packed with the brush of the floor sweep for convenient shipment and delivery to a purchaser. The floor sweep is readily assembled by the purchaser by unfolding the handle brace and extending the brush handle through a loop therein for engagement in the back of the floor sweep brush. The brace is so constructed that it is readily mountable on theback of the floor sweep brush extending away from either side of the floor sweep brush, enabling the already available on the market and may be acquired by use of a #2501 drill, for example.

as an accessory for assuring more reliable operation of standard forms of push brushes.

, Referring to the drawings in more detail, reference character 1 designates the back of a floor sweep brush which includes the brush 2. There are screw threaded bores 3 and ,4 located in the back of the brush extending on axes inclined in opposite directions with respect to a vertical axis to the back of the brush for receiving the screw handle end 8 of brush handle/7 with the brush handlefextending in either a left or right hand direction from the back of the floor sweep. The back 1 of the floor sweep also contains holes drilled approximately in depth, spaced approximately 8" on each side of the center line of the brush handle, the holes being prepared In the case of a brush assembly shipped in the original package with the foldable brace of my invention,'these holes 5 and 6 are already prepared, but in the case of conventional b usheswl ere the brace of my invention is applied as an accessory, these holes 5 and 6 are drilled in the back of the brush in order to assemble the brace with respect to the brush handle.

The brace of my invention is formed from strip steel and consists of the strips 9 and 10. The strip 9 is provided with the loop 11 which is contiguous with the strip 9. The loop 11 terminates at a pivot point 12 which constitutes the point of connection for the strip 10. The strips 9 and 10 may be foldedin an overlapping position as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 to facilitate packaging the brace in a carton 20 in which the brush 2 carried by the brace 1 is assembled for shipment and merchandising.

The ends of the strips 9 and 10 are flattened as shown at 13 and 14 so that when the brace is brought ,into registry with the rear of the back of the brush 1, the undersurface of the flattened ends 13 and 14 of the brace will extend in surface contact with the back 1 of the brush, with the loop 11 encircling and embracing the brush handle 7 when the end 8 of the brush handle 7 is screwed firmly into the screw-threaded bore 4 of the back 1 of the brush. The flattened ends 13 and 14 each includes apertures 13a and 14a therein through which the screw-threaded ends of attachment screws 15 and 16 are extended and engaged in the screw-receiving recesses 5 and 6 drilled in the back 1 of the brush.

The screws 15 and 16 are constructed as shown more fully in Figs. 11, 12 and 13 where a finger actuated device of sheet metal shown at 17 embraces the headed end 18 of the attachment screw having a screw-threaded shank 19. The screw-threaded shank 19 is readily passed through apertures 13a and 14a in the flattened ends 13 and 14 of the brace and driven into the drilled holes 5 and 6 in the back 1 of the brush for securing the brace, looped around-the handle 7, in position. The very substantial length of the finger actuated device of sheet metal 17 facilitates the manual gripping of the attachment screw 15 and 16 and the insertion and removal thereof, with respect to the back 1 of the brush in effecting an assembly or disassembly of the brace.

The brace may be applied as an accessory to a conventional floor sweep or may be shipped as a component part of an originally manufactured floor sweep. In either case the brace is adapted for either right or left hand model as indicated in Fig. 3. The full line position shown in Fig. 3 shows a left hand mounting of the handle and brace with respect to the back 1 of the brush. The dotted line showing illustrates the handle and brace mounted in right hand position with respect to the back 1 of the brush where the corresponding parts have been indicated by reference characters 7 denoting the handle; 9' denoting one part of the brace; 10' denoting the other part of the brace; and 11 denoting the loop of the brace. The brace and the securing screws and 16 are symmetrical, enabling the brace to be applied to either side of the back of the brush when the screw-threaded end 8 of the handle 7 is screw-threaded into either the bore 4 or bore 3 in the back 1 of the brush.

The hinged pivot 12 at which arm 10 hingedly connects with the arm 9 is located in a position with respect to loop 11 which is directly over'the surface along which the brush 2 operates during a cleaning operation, that is to say, the hinged pivot 12 is on the same side of loop 11 as are the bristles 2 of the brush. This set-up insures that the hinged pivot 12 is located in a position that is diagonally opposite the position at which the flattened ends 13 and 14 of arms 9 and 10 establish surface contact with the rear of the back 1 of the brush or, as hereinafter set forth in the claims, the rear of the header 1. Arms 9 and 10 in this relationship are placed under tension to perform a maximum bracing operation between header 1 and handle 7. The hinged pivot 12 is thus always located on the bottom side of the push broom assembly.

Hereinafter in the claims I have referred to theback 1 of the brush as a header with respect to which the parts 9 and 10 have been defined as arms which are spreadable about the hinged pivot 12 from the loop 11 which surrounds the handle 7 to positions where the terminating flattened ends 13 and 14 of the brace may be detachably secured in spaced positions with respect to the header.

I have found the collapsible brace of my invention highly practicable in manufacture, production, distribution and use, and while I have described my invention in one of its preferred embodiments, I realize that modifications may be made and I desire that it be understood that no limitations upon my invention are intended other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A brace for bracing a handle with respect to a header, in which the handle is detachably connectable with either side of the header, the latter having a substantially flat back portion extending longitudinally on opposite sides of the attachment position between the handle and the header, said brace formed by a pair of flat strips, one of said strips including a closed loop at the upper end thereof constituting a substantially cylindrical sleeve and terminating in a flattened end portion at the other end thereof, a hinged pivot carried by one side of said cylindrical sleeve in a path tangent to said cylindrical sleeve, the other of said strips being pivotally connected at one end with said hinged pivot on the side of the cylindrical sleeve and movable in a path tangent to I said cylindrical sleeve, said last mentioned strip terminating at the other end in a flattended end portion, the cylindrical sleeve on said first mentioned strip adapted to embrace the handle when inserted therethrough into one side of said header, said strips being spreadable from a collapsed position about said hinged pivot for presenting said flattened end portions adjacent spaced positions on the rear of said header, the said flattened end portions each being apertured and attachable and detachable screw-threaded means insertable through the apertures in said flattened end portions and engageable with the rear of said header, whereby said handle is braced with respect to said header.

2. A handle brace for floor sweeps and the like, as set forth in claim 1, in which said sleeve is integral with said first mentioned arm and wherein said hinged pivot is located at one side of said sleeve and wherein the other of said arms terminates immediately beyond said hinged pivot, said hinged pivot being located on the side of said sleeve which is diagonally opposite the portion at which the flattened ends of said arms establish surface contact with the rear of said header for providing maximum bracing effect for said handle with respect to said header.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,134,076 Hipkins Mar. 30, 1915 2,580,120 Mooney Dec. 25, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 260,522 Great Britain Nov. 4, 1926 613,380 Great Britain Nov. 25, 1948 

